Obese Kids Miss More School

As kids gear up to head back-to-school certain factors, including being overweight, mean that they may be missing more school than their peers.Research found that overweight students were absent 20% more often than other kids. They suggest that the heavier children are avoiding school because of being teased as well as not wanting to participate in gym class. The more school missed, the more problems that can arise down the road.

As kids prepare to head back-to-school, keep this news in mind if your child is overweight. Instead of enabling them to miss more school, try and help them control their weight and emotional issues. Maybe enroll them in an after school program that has activities involved. Think about possibly hiring a personal trainer for after school or on weekends. Heck, there are even gyms tailored specifically for kids popping up nationwide. Help them pack a lunch full of healthy foods rather than the fast food they have available at school. Finally, look at your own lifestyle and habits, maybe the simplest change can be done at home, together.

oh, and one time i even got teased because my sister is mentally handicapped...that only happened once, but that is why i added that bit about etaching your kids that teasing isn't right. She got teased all the time. by kids at school and kids at church. It upset me when i graduated from highschool and she was only in 10th grade.

you're lucky tralala. I got teased when i was still a healthy weight...i played basketball, so was a lot of muscle, and people told me i was fat, including my coaches, who said i could lose weight to sprint faster (when i was already fastest one on my team) then i really did get fat.

Even though I never had issues with teasing, I did miss more school than most of my friends, but that was because I was sick more often than most of them. And more tired haha. So get your kids healthy ! And unless they're sick to the point that they're willing to go to a doctor, force them to go to school. They'll thank you when they're older.

I would like to add that in addition to what Fit wrote about parents helping your overweight kids' control their diet and weight, and not letting them miss school, I say parents of kisd who aren't overweight--teach your kids that it is wrong to tease others becuase of how they look. And this doesn't just apply towards overweight kids...it applies for mentally and physically handicapped kids as well.